Developers Respond to iOS 7

On Tuesday, Apple officially unveiled its new crop of iPhones and iOS 7, the latest version of its mobile operating system. So what does the launch mean for the mobile development community?

For many, the news isn't what's in the OS for developers, but what isn't in it, namely biometrics. While the iPhone 5S has a fingerprint reader built in to the home button, app developers won't be able to use it to authenticate app users—at least for now. Some developers are expressing dissatisfaction about that particular decision.

However, in general, developers are expressing enthusiasm about the update, and some are taking the launch as an opportunity to market their apps. Others are noting that developers should make sure their code is ready to handle the new operating system when the final code gets pushed out to end users beginning September 18.